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Catalan self-rule divides Spain
By Sinikka Tarvainen Jun 19, 2006, 1:40 GMT
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Older Talkback
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What is so important about the Basques or Catalans wanting to be their own 'nation'? A language thing? Years of repression? Cultural differences from other Spanish provinces?
I am curious.
Historically speaking i believe that the Basque and Catalan regions of modern Spain were independent countries for a very long time. I think they were independent since the time of the Roman Empire collapsing up until the late 15th or early 16th centuries when most(except for Portugal) of the different kingdoms in the Ilberian Peninsula were united. The interesting part about this is that most of the regions arn't inhabited by 'Spanish' people. Many of the regions have there own languages on different cultures as well. For example the inhabitants of Galicia in northwestern Spain, for the most part, do not speak Spanish and are not of Spanish decent. These people speak Gallego which is a language very similiar to Portugese and most of the people in Portugal and Galicia are of the same ancient decent. It is only by chance that the kingdom of Portocale(ancient Portugal) was divided and the North became Galicia and the South Portugal. Eventually the kingdom of Galicia would become a county of the kindom of Leon and eventually after that Leon would become apart of Castil and so on and so forth. The inhabitants of Galicia still were essentially still 'Portocalans' but were given the title of Spainish when there kingdom was obsorbed into the not so Spaish Spain. I am sure that similiar history to this happend with other regions such as the Basque and Catalan regions. The people in these 'nations' remained the same but were all combined and put under the political title of Spanish. The same thing might of happend to the Portuguese but throughout history Portugal's military and desire to have self-rule were no match for the few true 'Spainiards.'
mmmm, yes, it's more or less that i think.
its basically that Catalonia had a special status in the past, having its own goverment apart from the rest of spain. In general terms, catalonia lost this power then the army of castilla (the spain that it's not catalonia, more or less..) invaded Catalonia and supressed government and laws in 1714.
since then, catalonia slowly regained some autonomy from time to time...
the catalan language has been totally forbiden several times in the history during the government of some dictators, like Franco, that repressed all kind of catalan culture during 39 years.
There's also a high inmigration rate in catalonia, because it's considered one of the prosperous regions of spain, and this is slowing the language recovery a bit. Nowadays the catalan language its the preferred language used in schools and institutions (everything that it's 'oficial' it's in catalan), its being actively spoken by aprox the 50% of people, and most of people living there its able to spoke it.
And what makes special the basque country, it's that they're an ethnic group not related with any other culture in europe, they do not suffered the 'romanisation' and they language origins are still unknown.
and more or less, it's this.
If you want more complete info, you could read this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Catalonia
PD: sorry for my bad english... cuz I'm catalan :)
If Kosovo is to be Albanian with the support of 'the international comunity' why not Catalonia & the Basque be independant from Spain !!!!!
You really ignore what is really happening within Catalonia and Basque Country; it is not about devolution or protecting a different identity; what is happening is that big regional oligarchies disguised in nationalism seek more privileges to pay less taxes and to get all control on political powers within their own regions. What is happening now is the persecution and repression against those who oppose to nationalistic ideas. The nationalist have built a fake history based on victimism,and many more lies to keep people in their regions under those oligarchies power and keep doing bussiness. What comes firts on this matter is money and not common interest for those oligarchies who have an almighty and absolute control over people everyday lives in these places. You ignore completely this; what really lays under all this is a awful story of corruption, bribery, money, and powe based on a tremendously tight rigid control over people and media. Really scandalicious for all common sense people
It is unbelievable what nonsense and drivel you submit into this blog; I´m from Buffalo (NY) and know rather well the Spanish stuff; in fact I lived there near a decade, and I know well what I´m speaking. Catalonia is simply a constituent part of Spain, and it is fully stupid and absurd to compare it with Kosovo, and speak about repression to the Catalans under Franco's dictatorship. The current nationalistic governing gaggle of Catalan aristocratic families ruling in Catalonia supported Franco's Army in the Spanish Civil war with a lot of financial resources and even raised much money to supply Franco's army for food and weapon. the same who are demanding independence for these Spanish regions are holding back all this information and withold the truth from people. What shows today´s people hipocrisy Catalonia was since the Roman Empire the same as the rest of Spain, and that linguistic difference arose from isolation in the Middle Ages. The Catalonians in the Middle Ages called their country Spain, one Spain of several Spain that were in that historical period. You have no any idea of what you are speaking. If Texas, New Mexico or California wanted to get independence by stating that they were occupied and annexed undemocraticly in 1848, and supported this by claiming that the treaties like that of Guadalup Hidalgo signed with Mexico were never complied, and added that their hispanic culture are being disrespected, you would call them crazy, stupid, and liars. Ah,by the way to that man feeling inclined to bomb Spain; First Spain is a democratic country, there is no political persecution, it is a member of NATO and an ally to the US. Do not compare uncomparable things and stop talking rubbish.
The Basque Country is Spain, and no more discussion about this, it is just an evident fact. The point is that there is a terrorist group with seceding ideas killing people and straining political opponents in that place. Who says the opposite has no idea,is politically contaminated by centrifugal ideas and not common sense, and blabbers only. Lexington rules in Kentucky, the best place ever to live undoubtably created by Our Lord as the earthly paradise.
It's amazing to see the revival of a language that was suppresed time and time again over the ages. In barcelona your are literaly looked down upon if you speak spanish ( speaking out of experience). To some extent i'd say their worse then french towns when speaking english. Small children are taught in catalan their teachers cringe their teeth when having to resort to spanish to communicate with the child's parents. Everything is conducted in Catalan. Of course one can understand that their language was suppressed for such a long time, and that the feeling would only be natural. Yet, there is more to it, the one question nobody wants to ask, ' How did such a large number of people learn Catalan out of an average of just 30 years??? ( since the fall of Franco i mean ) Could it be that because of the large influx of immigration to spain, that the mayority already there feel they must stand out; and what better way then to speak another classic perhaps novel tongue of the Iberian penensula than the rest of the new immigrants who just speak common Spanish. I mean it's pretty clever if that's the case, those who speak catalan would be the true spanish, the 'I was here first' people and those who don't are just plain immigrants. ( of course, the true spanish of the east side region of spain i mean)
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